Birmingham Mayor William Bell said street paving and improvements will begin the first work following approval of a $150 million bond referendum. The last mass paving was downtown in 2009. (Linda Stelter, Birmingham News file.)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Street resurfacing in Birmingham's nine council districts will begin the city's capital program paid with money from the recently approved bond referendum, Mayor William Bell said.

Bell today presented the first details on capital plans following the October 9 approval of $150 million in capital bonds. Of that amount, Bell has said the city would spend half now and reserve the rest for later phases.

Bell said the city would take $9 million from its accounts to begin the street improvements, then replace it once the bonds are sold. Bell said each district would receive $1 million in initial street work.

"My staff and I are ready to go to work," he said. "I have asked the director of planning and engineering to identify $1 million of street resurfacing projects in each district, based on the eligible list and need."

Bell said the first half of the bonds would be sold in March, with the money available later that month.

Birmingham Mayor William Bell

Bell also asked each council member to give him their three top project priorities by November 15. He said there are three steps to the process, prioritizing, securing the money, then planning and designing.

"As projects are prioritized I will be seeking your approval of professional services contracts and reimbursement resolutions so that we can move quickly towards implementation," he said. "Streets, sanitation and safety are our first goals."

The current list of capital projects is diverse and totals well beyond the $150 million cap. That list includes basics such as paving streets and repairing sidewalks, to more pronounced projects such as tearing down Boutwell Auditorium, building a new downtown event center and adding another pool at the Crossplex.